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Freeze in taxi driver numbers for Worcester - and a cap for the first time ever

dave cus says...7:02pm Tue 4 Feb 14

good!

good!dave cus

good!

Score: 6

BUGSY27 says...8:03pm Tue 4 Feb 14

As a ex taxi driver I blame the GREEDY owners from years ago who owned taxis they would sell them for £20,000 + then went to the council saying they wanted another licence then the council gave in to certain owners some who ended up having 3 or 4 different licence plates.

As a ex taxi driver I blame the GREEDY owners from years ago who owned taxis they would sell them for £20,000 + then went to the council saying they wanted another licence then the council gave in to certain owners some who ended up having 3 or 4 different licence plates.BUGSY27

As a ex taxi driver I blame the GREEDY owners from years ago who owned taxis they would sell them for £20,000 + then went to the council saying they wanted another licence then the council gave in to certain owners some who ended up having 3 or 4 different licence plates.

Score: 2

Jabbadad says...1:42am Wed 5 Feb 14

BUGSY27 I agree but it also shows a greed from the then Tory council for grabbing the license fees since 261 cabs @ £399 = £104,139 yearly. Now 261 cabs @ £426 = £111,186 per year.

BUGSY27 I agree but it also shows a greed from the then Tory council for grabbing the license fees since 261 cabs @ £399 = £104,139 yearly.
Now 261 cabs @ £426 = £111,186 per year.Jabbadad

BUGSY27 I agree but it also shows a greed from the then Tory council for grabbing the license fees since 261 cabs @ £399 = £104,139 yearly. Now 261 cabs @ £426 = £111,186 per year.

Score: 3

Spetchley Dave says...12:36pm Wed 5 Feb 14

Are the Council being greedy? They don’t force people to apply for licences, they choose to apply because they want to. The circle I have trouble squaring is that all the taxi drivers claim there are too many taxis for them to make a living and yet more and more keep going along and getting licences. Last time I checked, we lived in a free market economy. If a business is failing to make money due to competition, the market will determine which businesses survive and which fail. If a taxi driver cannot feed and clothe his family driving taxis, then he should be looking for a career change not moaning to the Council and asking for them to stop further competition entering the market. Can coffee shop owners ask for a cap on the number of coffee shops in the City to protect their business interests? No. Can clothes shops ask for a cap on the number of clothes shops in the City to protect their business interests? No. So why is it that taxi drivers able to have their business interests protected from competition? Exactly what influence do the taxi drivers have over our local politicians?

Are the Council being greedy? They don’t force people to apply for licences, they choose to apply because they want to.
The circle I have trouble squaring is that all the taxi drivers claim there are too many taxis for them to make a living and yet more and more keep going along and getting licences.
Last time I checked, we lived in a free market economy. If a business is failing to make money due to competition, the market will determine which businesses survive and which fail. If a taxi driver cannot feed and clothe his family driving taxis, then he should be looking for a career change not moaning to the Council and asking for them to stop further competition entering the market.
Can coffee shop owners ask for a cap on the number of coffee shops in the City to protect their business interests? No. Can clothes shops ask for a cap on the number of clothes shops in the City to protect their business interests? No.
So why is it that taxi drivers able to have their business interests protected from competition? Exactly what influence do the taxi drivers have over our local politicians?Spetchley Dave

Are the Council being greedy? They don’t force people to apply for licences, they choose to apply because they want to. The circle I have trouble squaring is that all the taxi drivers claim there are too many taxis for them to make a living and yet more and more keep going along and getting licences. Last time I checked, we lived in a free market economy. If a business is failing to make money due to competition, the market will determine which businesses survive and which fail. If a taxi driver cannot feed and clothe his family driving taxis, then he should be looking for a career change not moaning to the Council and asking for them to stop further competition entering the market. Can coffee shop owners ask for a cap on the number of coffee shops in the City to protect their business interests? No. Can clothes shops ask for a cap on the number of clothes shops in the City to protect their business interests? No. So why is it that taxi drivers able to have their business interests protected from competition? Exactly what influence do the taxi drivers have over our local politicians?

Score: 5

Giorgos says...12:37pm Wed 5 Feb 14

Can't the council also insist that engines have to be switched off whilst waiting at taxi ranks, thus reducing pollution in the city centre?

Can't the council also insist that engines have to be switched off whilst waiting at taxi ranks, thus reducing pollution in the city centre?Giorgos

Can't the council also insist that engines have to be switched off whilst waiting at taxi ranks, thus reducing pollution in the city centre?

Score: 2

Bismarck says...12:44pm Wed 5 Feb 14

A fair point Dave. Can drivers claim tax credits if they earn below a certain threshold? - perhaps that accounts for the numbers of drivers applying for licences these days. Perhaps one for someone with more knowledge of these things than I to comment on What I don't undertsand is how Jabba Riaz is quoted as saying that "...we all know there are far too many [taxis]..." yet he has been on the licensing committee for a number of years now and is evidently reponsible for approving excessive numbers of licenses. How does that work?

A fair point Dave. Can drivers claim tax credits if they earn below a certain threshold? - perhaps that accounts for the numbers of drivers applying for licences these days. Perhaps one for someone with more knowledge of these things than I to comment on
What I don't undertsand is how Jabba Riaz is quoted as saying that "...we all know there are far too many [taxis]..." yet he has been on the licensing committee for a number of years now and is evidently reponsible for approving excessive numbers of licenses. How does that work?Bismarck

A fair point Dave. Can drivers claim tax credits if they earn below a certain threshold? - perhaps that accounts for the numbers of drivers applying for licences these days. Perhaps one for someone with more knowledge of these things than I to comment on What I don't undertsand is how Jabba Riaz is quoted as saying that "...we all know there are far too many [taxis]..." yet he has been on the licensing committee for a number of years now and is evidently reponsible for approving excessive numbers of licenses. How does that work?

Score: 2

Jabbadad says...4:07pm Wed 5 Feb 14

Coun Riaz was in fact the Chairman of that committee, but also previously had connections with the Taxi community. But as to why no caps from the taxi drivers, they are not a harmonious bunch in fact there is strong competition between the Asian groups. Such as being allowed by means of additional payment to ply from the Shrub Hill Station, since I understand that a Block Francjise from the railways has to be bought and then issued / hired to other drivers. As to the engines being left running I have enquired both to the Police and the Traffic wardens about an infringement in leaving engines running whilst parked, the Police typicaly said it wasn't anything to do with them, (I often wonder what they are required to do) and the Traffic wardens say that the drivers watch carefully and if a warden approaches they move just a little forwards and say that they are on a rolling rank. The only cause for action is through the Worcester City Enviromental Health Department who undertake the AIr Monitoring, and to get this done it needs to go through a City / County Councillor. Webb site for Air Quality is www.worcsregservices .gov.uk Then scroll down for Pollution and Air Quality monitoring. I understand that there is a list of monitoring already undertaken. .

Coun Riaz was in fact the Chairman of that committee, but also previously had connections with the Taxi community.
But as to why no caps from the taxi drivers, they are not a harmonious bunch in fact there is strong competition between the Asian groups.
Such as being allowed by means of additional payment to ply from the Shrub Hill Station, since I understand that a Block Francjise from the railways has to be bought and then issued / hired to other drivers.
As to the engines being left running I have enquired both to the Police and the Traffic wardens about an infringement in leaving engines running whilst parked, the Police typicaly said it wasn't anything to do with them, (I often wonder what they are required to do) and the Traffic wardens say that the drivers watch carefully and if a warden approaches they move just a little forwards and say that they are on a rolling rank. The only cause for action is through the Worcester City Enviromental Health Department who undertake the AIr Monitoring, and to get this done it needs to go through a City / County Councillor.
Webb site for Air Quality is www.worcsregservices
.gov.uk Then scroll down for Pollution and Air Quality monitoring. I understand that there is a list of monitoring already undertaken. .Jabbadad

Coun Riaz was in fact the Chairman of that committee, but also previously had connections with the Taxi community. But as to why no caps from the taxi drivers, they are not a harmonious bunch in fact there is strong competition between the Asian groups. Such as being allowed by means of additional payment to ply from the Shrub Hill Station, since I understand that a Block Francjise from the railways has to be bought and then issued / hired to other drivers. As to the engines being left running I have enquired both to the Police and the Traffic wardens about an infringement in leaving engines running whilst parked, the Police typicaly said it wasn't anything to do with them, (I often wonder what they are required to do) and the Traffic wardens say that the drivers watch carefully and if a warden approaches they move just a little forwards and say that they are on a rolling rank. The only cause for action is through the Worcester City Enviromental Health Department who undertake the AIr Monitoring, and to get this done it needs to go through a City / County Councillor. Webb site for Air Quality is www.worcsregservices .gov.uk Then scroll down for Pollution and Air Quality monitoring. I understand that there is a list of monitoring already undertaken. .

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